Tag Archives: Alyson Hannigan

As a HUGE ‘How I Met Your Mother’ fan I felt so many emotions following the airing of the sitcom’s final episode earlier this year.

It’s painful to admit, but I was hugely disappointed as the credits rolled for the final time.

I’d stuck with the show through thick and thin, celebrating the brilliant storylines and gimmicks (Robin Sparkles, the pineapple, Slapbet – it was all great) and also persevered through the last few seasons where the comedy seemed forced and over the top.

The last 10 minutes of the finale came as a huge disappointment. It belittled everything that the final season seemed to create and encourage and it didn’t feel like the characters got the happy ending that they deserved.

That’s why I was over the moon to discover the alternative ending that features on the complete box set DVD release of the show.

I’ve written a little bit about the finale for Metro.co.uk, sharing my opinion that the alternative ending should’ve been used instead of the original one.

How I Met Your Motheris, without a doubt, one of my favourite shows. There are so many great things about it and I think it’s premise is a great idea.

For those who haven’t seen it, it follows Ted Mosby as he tells his children – you guessed it – how he met their mother. He recalls stories about his life as a bachelor with best friends Marshall, Lily, Barney and Robin.

In honour of the show’s return to UK television tonight, here I run through my favourite things about the show.

—

The Catchphrases

The show is full of catchphrases (mostly Barney’s) and unsurprisingly, they never seem to grate on you as a viewer. Some of my favourites include:

“Have you met Ted?”

Due to Ted’s desperation to find a soulmate, his friends sometimes feel the need to introduce him to women he isn’t confident enough to talk to. This is one me and my friends love so much, we’ve taken to mimicking it on nights out.

“It’s going to be Legen – wait for it – dary!”

Barney thinks everything is legendary. Whilst his friends think he is too liberal with the word, he is always looking for things that will outdo the last in terms of “awesomeness”.

“Suit Up!”

Barney loves suits -so much so that in the 100th episode he sings a song about it. He is often heard telling his friends to “suit up” to join him on the hunt for women. Variations of the phrase have included “snow suit up” and “flight suit up”.

—

The Slap Bet

The best episodes of the show revolve around the Slap Bet. When Marshall and Barney debate why Robin won’t go to a mall, they bet on why, agreeing that whoever wins gets to slap the other. When Barney mistakenly thinks he was correct and slaps Marshall, they soon find out the real reason why Robin won’t go to the mall (see Robin Sparkles) and as the slap bet commissioner, Lily gives Marshall the right to slap Barney five times over all eternity. In a later episode, Marshall wins the right to slap Barney another three times, making eight in total.

The slaps happen at random times throughout the show and are often unexpected. The best one has to be during the episode Slapsgiving, when Marshall terrifies Barney by introducing him to the “slap countdown” after the slap has occurred, he treats the gang to an original song he had written for the occasion “You Just Got Slapped”.

Only six of eight slaps have been seen on screen so far.

—

Marshall and Lily

Marshall and Lily – or should I say Marshmallow and Lilypad – are the most adorable couple. It was clear from the start that they were destined to be together and whatever they’re doing is always sweet. When they’re separated, Lily sleeps with a Marshpillow and he has a pre-recorded “night night song” where he sings her to sleep. They live for Halloween when they can dress up in extreme couples costumes (such as Sonny and Cher and a pirate and his parrot) and are always there to offer Ted moral support.

—

Robin Sparkles

As previously mentioned, Robin doesn’t like going to the mall. No one can work out why, until they come into possession of a video from her past – a music video of ‘Let’s Go to the Mall’ by Robin Sparkles. It is revealed that Robin was a 90s popstar in her native Canada, although, because Canada was “a little behind”, she looks like she belongs in the 80s.

So far in the show, as well as her debut, we’ve seen her soppy ballad, ‘Sandcastles in the Sand’ and also her double act with Jessica Glitter (Nicole Scherzinger). This series we’ll see what happens when Robin Sparkles deals with unrequited love and discovers grunge…

—

Guest Stars

The show has seen a number of celebrity guest stars, many of which have joined the show for numerous episodes. Some of the most memorable have been:

Britney Spears as receptionist Abby. She becomes obsessed with Ted and stalks Barney, warning girls to keep away from him.

Mandy Moore as Amy. She gets drunk with Ted and encourages him to get a tattoo with her. Ted opts for a butterfly on his lower back… something he regrets in the morning!

Enrique Inglesias as Gael. As Robin’s first boyfriend following her break-up with Ted, it is expected that the gang will all hate Gael, but they all fall for his charms, even Marshall…

Nicole Scherzinger as Jessica Glitter. Jessica Glitter used to be part of a double act with Robin Sparkles on the show Space Teens.

Jorge Garcia as the Blitz. The Blitz always misses awesome moments, when he joins the gang for dinner, his curse “the blitz” gets transferred to Barney.

Katy Perry as ‘Honey’. Ted can’t remember ‘Honey’s’ real name when talking to his kids but refers to her as “Honey” because when you recall things she says, you can’t resist replying with “oh honey” because of her naivety.

Katie Holmes as ‘the Slutty Pumpkin’. Ted spends years hoping to meet the girl who got away one halloween, only to find she doesn’t live up to his expectations when they meet again.

The casts real-life spouses have also featured on the show. Alyson Hannigan’s husband, Alexis Denisof, appeared as Sandy Rivers, Robin’s co-worker. Taran Killam, Cobie Smulder’s husband, appeared as Blauman, Marshall and Barney’s co-worker and David Burtker, Neil Patrick Harris’ partner, appeared as Scooter, Lily’s obsessive ex-boyfriend.

—

The Bloopers

I usually find the bloopers to any show hilarious, but because the cast are so amazing, I think these ones are especially great! Watch them below: